Parents and kindergartens in the UK are struggling to provide nutritious meals to their children as food prices rise, according to a survey of more than 500 childcare providers.
The Early Years Alliance and the London-based Early Years Foundation told the British daily newspaper The Guardian that nearly one in ten childcare providers said they had turned to charities for help. Nearly 62% said they were forced to use cheaper ingredients in their meals.
As the cost of living crisis affects the availability of childcare services for many families, 56% of caregivers said they had to pass the cost on to their parents, while 49% of caregivers also said they saw signs of food insecurity among families in their setting . .
Parents in the UK pay more for kindergarten fees than for mortgages or rent, with the average cost of a permanent kindergarten spot for a child under 2 being £14,000 ($17,327).
Although some poorer households in England receive 15 hours of free child care at age 2, and all households receive 15 hours for children aged 3 and 4, the rates charged for free hours are considered insufficient by service providers.
The survey also found that children or families in about half of the locations show signs of food insecurity.
Stella Freebody, manager of Oak Tree Nursery in Ilfracombe, Devon, said the cost-of-living crisis has put enormous pressure on the nursery to change menus to keep costs down.
June O’Sullivan, head of London’s Early Development Foundation, said healthcare providers are seeing a “growing gap between stagnant public funding and rising costs.”
Labor MP Emma Lewell-Buck is calling for the Healthy Start scheme to be extended to all families with Universal Credit and to increase its cost in line with inflation.
A Ministry of Education spokesman said the government is considering increasing the cost, flexibility and availability of childcare services, as well as investing in staff training.
According to The Guardian, the “incredibly disturbing” results of the poll urged ministers to allocate more funds to nurseries.
